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by Anne Jordanova on February 24, 2010
Poster Officiel
So, it was announced as of April 2009, that Guillaume Canet’s incredible French thriller “Ne le dis à Personne” (or, Tell No One, en anglais) will receive the ultimate Hollywood retouch … an English language remake. Not much was heard after that announcement, but now according to Variety magazine Miramax and Focus Features will be taking this on.
Tell No One was an excellent film, and a HUGE success in its native France. Coming from the hands and mind of its director -French actor turned director Guillaume Canet- it was well received, reviewed, and loved by audiences across France … including myself.
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by David Stallings on December 27, 2009
A Film Review by Guest Blogger David Stallings
The question is not is Nine worthy, but can a modern audience sit through 8 ½?
Buzz surrounding Rob Marshall’s film adaptation of a stage musical adaptation of a 1963 film classic, 8 ½ , has been flitting around the industry for many months. From the drama of losing Javier Bardem and gaining Daniel Day Lewis to casting a bevy of Hollywood Divas in ensemble roles, this picture has certainly had the build-up of a blockbuster hit. Unfortunately for this film, it has neither the current American cinematic structure nor the traditional character development to meet the primary requirement of a Blockbuster: the movie does not speak to everyone. That being said, the film Nine will have those who love it and hate it arguing about its validity for years to come. In short, Nine has thus succeeded as a work of art.
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by K. B. Abele on November 19, 2009
It doesn’t surprise me that when Wes Anderson decided to take on a Roald Dahl story, he skipped right over some of the darker tales that inspired Alfred Hitchcock for his television series “Alfred Hitchcock Presents.” Instead, he went for a softer, more joyous tale of a fox trying to find his place in the world and with his family.
Anderson’s first animated film is a wonderful dive into the cheekily intelligent world that Anderson has established throughout his career. From Bottle Rocket to the Darjeeling Limited, Anderson never fails to create honest, flawed and charming characters–allowing the audience to witness these characters both at their lowest moments and their most endearing. The Fantastic Mr. Fox is no exception. Despite its more familial feel and childlike tone, the film is one of the more intelligent and mature stories released this year. If Wes Anderson had a plan to win the hearts of film-goers everywhere with this film, he has succeeded.
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by K. B. Abele on November 1, 2009
Walking into a packed theatre at 4:00 in the afternoon on a Wednesday is a bit like an out-of-body experience. Arriving half an hour early, and still vying for a decent seat, is not something that happens often at a Brooklyn theatre. But that is exactly what happened to me this afternoon.
Michael Jackson’s This is It opened today and people around the world seem to have responded. The limited theatrical release time frame of two weeks was a genius move on the part of producers–probably a direct idea of director Kenny Ortega, the mastermind behind Disney’s mega trilogy High School Musical, gearing off the premise set by the Hannah Montana: Best of Both Worlds concert film.
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by Antonio Miniño on October 27, 2009
Isn’t horror sexy? The chill down your spine, sweaty palms, a prickle in your… No people! Horror is disturbing, scary, exhilarating yes, in an insomnia inducing kind of way. I’m a big horror flick aficionado, not the campy kind, although I do love Sam Rami’s The Evil Dead and have to confess I’ve only seen the first one. But let’s get down to business; let’s get down to one of the best “Netflix Instant Watch” finds for this Halloweek … you know the kind? When there is nothing on TV and you pop open your laptop and do a lovely genre specific search.
Eli (Lina Leandersson)
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by Karen Tortora-Lee on August 3, 2008
New York City in the summer can be brutal … hotter than hot and crammed full of people. While a lot of people spend their time doing the “Yay! Summer” chant, I spend June through September finding ways to avoid the whole thing.
These last few weeks have been in the high 80s, the low 90s, I can’t remember exactly — the heat runs it all together for me. So what better way to forget your troubles than in a darkened movie theatre?
While I’ve always been okay with science fiction, fantasy, and graphic novels turned into movies, it was more of a take it or leave it thing before meeting Stephen. Had it not been for him, I’d never have seen a movie like GhostRider or Fantastic 4 or X-Men. Some I’ve liked more than I expected to, some I’ve suffered through, but all have lead to good conversations afterwards since Stephen is such a fan of the dark vs. light concept.
On Friday night after work we were able to catch Hellboy 2 which was a movie I was definitely looking forward to, having been such a fan of the first Hellboy.
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by Karen Tortora-Lee on December 22, 2007
I was half-convinced I’d waken.
Satisfied enough to dream you,
happily I was mistaken ….
– “Johanna” / Sweeney Todd
My obsession with Sweeney Todd has been going on for close to 25 years now … trumped only by my obsession with the wondrous Stephen Sondheim himself which started when I was barely 13.
I can still remember that moment that froze me, made me stand still in the middle of that black and white checkered floor in my parent’s basement, where I’d lip-synced my way through the Rogers and Hammerstein canon. I’d just gotten the album “Hooked on Broadway” (Part of the successful “Hooked On …” series) and was listening to it for the first time. There was a Sondheim/Gershwin tribute and I was a Gershwin fan ever since I heard Rhapsody in Blue so was paying particular attention. Who this Sondheim fella was, I hadn’t a clue. Oh, but I was about to find out … and nothing would ever be the same again.
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